Born in late eighteenth-century California, Diego de la Vega is a child of two worlds: the son of a Spanish nobleman and an Indian warrior woman. His father, the lord of a large hacienda, teaches him fencing from an early age and wants to see him as his heir, while his mother imparts the traditions of her people and the yearning for freedom. Diego learns pride and daring from both, and he soon becomes outraged by the atrocities committed by the Spanish colonial rulers against the Indians, feeling the inner conflict of his heritage. At sixteen, Diego leaves his homeland to gain European refinement in Barcelona. Spain is bending under Napoleon's rule, and soon Diego joins a secret society as Zorro, which has conspired to seek justice. Yet it is not only justice that drives Diego to daring deeds, but...